On 24 July 2020, the European Commission announced that at a meeting of the WTO Trade Policy Review Body, the European Union, backed by ten other members of the World Trade Organization (Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Republic of Korea and Switzerland), submitted a joint communication calling for more transparency in respect of trade-related measures introduced by partners around the world in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The aim is to…
On July 22, 2020 the Canada Gazette published a series or orders and regulations to implement the Canada, United States, Mexico Agreement (CUSMA in Canada, USMCA in the United States and T-MEC in Mexico) which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement on July 1, 2020. The orders and regulations are [links are to the Canada Gazette, not individual regulations] Order Repealing Certain Orders Made Under the Customs Tariff (CUSMA) (SOR/2020-154, June 30, 2020)CUSMA Rules…
On July 22, 2020, US Customs and Border Protection published in the Federal Register a notice that announces the decision of the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to continue until August 20, 2020, to temporarily limit the travel of individuals from Canada into the United States at land ports of entry along the United States-Canada border. Such travel will be limited to “essential travel,” as further defined in the document. In a separate notice published…
On July 8, 2020, the Hacienda published in the Diario Oficial (Official Gazette) the Circular Letter informing the agencies and their decentralized administrative bodies, the parastatal entities of the Parastatal Public Administration, as well as the Attorney General of the Republic subject to the coverage of the Free Trade Agreement indicated, the conversion into national currency for the second semester of 2020 with effect from July 1 to December 31, 2020, in accordance with the…
On July 9, 2020, the Diario Oficial de la Federacion (Federal Official Gazette) published the Acuerdo by which the Ministry of Economy publishes the Uniform Regulations regarding the interpretation, application and administration of Chapter 4 (Rules of Origin), Chapter 5 (Procedures of Origin), Chapter 6 (Textile Merchandise and Clothing), and Chapter 7 (Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation) of the Agreement between the United Mexican States, the United States of America and Canada. The Uniform Regulations…
On July 1, 2020, CBP issued CSMS #43227909 – Drawback: USMCA Interim Guidance, reproduced below: Drawback USMCA Update: The purpose of this message is to provide the trade community with guidance on claim submission and the reporting requirements for USMCA drawback claims. USMCA regulations, which are pending, will be housed in 19 CFR 182. Further guidance will be issued in a CSMS once regulations are final. The drawback trade community should not file any USMCA…
On July 1, 2020, the Federal Register published Presidential Proclamation 10053 of June 29, 2020 To Take Certain Actions Under the United States-Mexico–Canada Agreement Implementation Act and for Other Purposes, which modifies the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) – as set forth in Annex I to US International Trade Commission (USITC) Publication 5060 (which is incorporated by reference) to provide generally for the preferential tariff treatment being accorded under the USMCA, to…
On July 1, 2020, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published in the Federal Register an interim final rule [USCBP-2020-0036; CBP Dec. 20-11], which amends the CBP regulations to implement the rules of origin provisions for preferential tariff treatment of the Agreement Between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA). The document sets forth the framework for CBP regulations that provides further guidance regarding the rules of origin for those…
On July 1, 2020, the US Department of Labor published in the Federal Register an interim final rule (IFR) issuing regulations necessary to administer the high-wage components of the labor value content requirements as set forth in section 202A of that United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (the “Act”). The interim final rule is effective on July 1, 2020. Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by August 31, 2020. The Act requires that to…
On July 1, 2020, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published in the Federal Register a general notice that announces a modification to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) reconciliation prototype test to include the flagging for filing of post-importation preferential treatment claims arising under the Agreement Between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (the USMCA) as implemented pursuant to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act…